When the Celtics won their 18th NBA championship, Sam Cassell earned his second title with the team, this time as an assistant coach. He had previously won two titles with the Houston Rockets. Now, he is looking forward to taking his talents further and leading a team as a head coach. He might have lost the opportunity to become the head coach for the Lakers, but Cassell remains positive and hopeful about securing a new role. And so are the analysts who have been rooting for him. Fans are equally optimistic.

The smooth trash-talker entered the NBA scene with elite basketball knowledge and an impressive college basketball résumé. During his senior year at Florida State University, he led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) in steals. The Houston Rockets selected him as the 24th overall pick in the 1993 NBA Draft.

Averaging 10.0 points and 2.9 assists across seven games in the 1994 NBA Finals, Cassell quickly became popular for his clutch shots. With Hakeem Olajuwon leading the team, Cassell became the clutch hero leading the Rockets to win a championship in 1994. He was composed and appeared much more experienced than any other rookie.

Cassell also got a new opportunity in the following year. He appeared in all 82 games the next season, dropping 31 points in Game 2 of the Finals against the Orlando Magic and ultimately leading the Rockets to another championship. However, Cassell couldn’t repeat the same magic in his third year despite getting more minutes in the games. He missed 21 games that year due to elbow and foot injuries.

Not just Cassell but the other players on the team, including Clyde Drexler and others, were struggling with injuries. The Rockets were taken down by the Seattle Supersonics, who eventually lost to the Chicago Bulls. Following this, Cassell was traded to the Phoenix Suns to fill the gap left by Charles Barkley.

Sam Cassell was the Clutch hero for the teams he played with 

Many might remember that the former Celtics star was trolled a lot for his appearance and for looking like an alien. “Sam I Am Cassell” was one of the nicknames given to him. However, that isn’t the only nickname he is known by. There’s another name by which the basketball legend is known, the “Crunch Time Killer.” His impeccable ability to lift up his teams and change the course of the game with his clutch performances makes the nickname an apt one.

Playing alongside Robert Horry and Chucky Brown, Cassell averaged 14.8 points per game that season. After a short 16-game stint with the Dallas Mavericks, he was sent to the Nets. Despite hopes of returning to Houston, Cassell chose to stay with the Nets. While he was able to lead the Nets to the playoffs for the first time in four years, he ultimately lost to Michael Jordan and the Bulls. Averaging 19.5 points and 3.1 rebounds across 102 games throughout his Nets career, he was an important player for the team.

He was always a trouble for the point guards. Mike Bibby once admitted that he hated to guard Cassell. “Oh man, you can’t block that s**t. No matter what you do, he’s there, but he’s getting it off every time. Nothing you can do about it. That’s why they had Doug (Christie) guarding him… I couldn’t guard Sam out there; I wasn’t giving no defense to Sam,” Bibby shared on Forgotten Seasons. Cassell wasn’t a big superstar but his contributions were essential in elevating the team whenever needed. 

Playing for the Milwaukee Bucks, he averaged 19.7 points per game. The real golden time for Cassell was when he played for the Minnesota Timberwolves. In his first year with the team, he averaged 19.8 points. He joined Kevin Garnett and Latrell Sprewell to form the best trio that season. In his second year with the team, he averaged 13.5 points per game. However, the Timberwolves didn’t offer an extension deal to Cassell.

After an injury-ridden season, Cassell was traded to the Clippers, where he became a valuable addition. The “Crunch Time Killer” stepped up his game to lead the team to the playoffs. This was the Clippers’ first playoff appearance since 1997. During his time with the Clippers, he averaged 14.7 points per game.

After he became an unrestricted free agent, Cassell joined the Boston Celtics on March 1, 2008. Averaging 7.6 points and 1.8 rebounds across 17 games, Cassell helped the Celtics win the NBA championship, adding the third title to his résumé in his final season in the league. Following this, he stepped into coaching and has been equally successful.